Ukraine turning the tables on Russia, close to using 'strike drones' to counter attacks: Live updates
Ukraine is fighting drones with drones.
Russia has relied on Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles as part of its campaign to destroy large segments of the Ukrainian power infrastructure, and the invaded nation is starting to turn the tables.
Ukrainian officials have made veiled references to using their own drones in attacks on Russian military bases in recent weeks, including a thwarted strike Monday near the Engels air base, more than 370 miles from the border with Ukraine.
The 1,400 UAVs Ukraine has purchased are meant mostly for surveillance and intelligence gathering, but the country is close to developing attacking drones that can fly suicide missions and hit targets, the country's chief technology minister said.
"The next stage, now that we are more or less equipped with reconnaissance drones, is strike drones,'' Ukrainian digital transformation minister Mykhailo Fedorov told The Associated Press. “I can say already that the situation regarding drones will change drastically in February or March.”
Other developments:
►In his annual speech to parliament, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the European Union to open membership talks with his country after granting it candidate status in June.
►Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Wednesday that any peace plan must acknowledge Russian possession of the four Ukrainian provinces Moscow illegally annexed in the fall, a notion Kyiv flatly rejects.
►A group of about 50 people, most of them from Russia’s Chechnya region, have gathered this week near Bosnia’s northwestern border with Croatia seeking to escape being drafted into the Russian military, the Bosnian Security Ministry said Wednesday.
France boosts supply of weapons to Ukraine, including air defense system
France's support of the Ukrainian war effort has been overshadowed by French President Emmanuel Macron's insistence on maintaining open dialogue with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and seeking a peace accord.
Those military contributions were highlighted Wednesday when Sebastien Lecornu, the French minister for the Armed Forces, pledged further aid in a visit to Kyiv, including a $212 million fund for Ukraine to buy weapons.
Officials said France will supply air defense equipment, and later Lecornu mentioned the MAMBA anti-missile system developed together with Italy, describing it as the European equivalent of the Patriot air defense system the U.S. has given Ukraine.
France has provided Ukraine a substantial part of its arsenal of Caesar cannons, in addition to anti-tank missiles, Crotale air defense missile batteries and rocket launchers. It is also training about 2,000 Ukrainian troops on French soil. Macron vowed last week to supply more weapons in early 2023.
Kherson residents urged to leave as Russian shelling intensifies
Ukrainian officials are increasing their efforts to move Kherson residents out of the city because of Russian shelling that has become "more frequent and more large-scale,'' Kherson authorities said.
The invading forces were pushed out of the regional capital last month but have continued their assault from across the Dnipro River.
The Ukrainian military said Russia fired a missile and 33 rockets at Kherson in the past day. Russian projectiles hit a maternity hospital shortly after two women had their babies there, though no one was wounded. On Saturday, at least 10 people in the city were killed by shelling, officials said.
The government is offering residents free transportation out of Kherson along with "free shelter, humanitarian assistance, cash payments and all social guarantees.''
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine live updates: New strike drones may turn tables on Russia
